At the End of the Tunnel
by pochapal
Summary: In the span of two days, the FAYZ went from a slowly darkening hell to a clear dome that showed the outside world, and the Gaiaphage went from being a writhing mass at the bottom of a mineshaft to inhabiting the body of Diana and Caine's baby. The endgame is coming. Fast. The stakes are set higher than ever, and the final battle of the FAYZ will play for all to see. LIGHT Retelling
1. One

**A/N: Hello there! What you are about to read is a retelling of the finale of the Gone series; Light. This won't be just me telling the story in my writing style, with perhaps sparing the life of the character, no, this will be an entirely different story. So don't expect to be able to use the phenomenal book series to help predict the outcome of this story. Let's just say that if the actual book left you speechless in awe, then this will bring you to your knees.**

**(Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Michael Grant, nor do I own any rights to the Gone series: this is a fanwork, and is not associated with the actual events of the book)**

**So, without further ado, let's begin the delve into the ever-unpredictable world of the FAYZ, only with my own personal spin on the events.**

* * *

**One**

**79 Hours 14 Minutes**

* * *

Diana Ladris stared into the flames, her knees huddled to her chest as she sat on the dirt floor, shivering as the chill of the night penetrated her torn clothes. The fire had been started by Gaia, but it could barely be called that. It was nothing more than a pile of dried twigs that had been set alight after several careless attempts. Despite her immense power, her dreadful, immense power, Gaia was still bound by the restrictions of a small child's body. The slightest of smirks spread to Diana's lips at this. Even the great Darkness was having troubles. The smirk faded, and Diana looked at Gaia, shivering as the fire began to show signs of dying out.

The figure sitting on the other side of the fire was without a doubt her daughter. Her _daughter_. The thought of this brought a strange, warm feeling to Diana; it felt out of place, like she wasn't supposed to be feeling a maternal bond with the child. Like it was wrong.

Gaia slowly moved her head, staring into the flames, not noticing anything but the flickering red tongues.

"Nemesis," she whispered into the tiny inferno, catching Diana off guard. There was the occasional moment when she would delude, or torture, herself into thinking that this burned up child, with brilliant blue eyes, and dark hair that had just started to grow back again, was nothing more than her and Caine's child; the ultimate symbol of their love. But Gaia would never be that; within seconds of being born, the Darkness had possessed the tiny baby's body to serve as a vessel for itself, killing anything human inside the tiny miracle. It was the worst of horror movies gone wrong, acted out in front of Diana's own eyes, bringing her more pain than she had ever experienced, even in the nightmare that was the FAYZ. The intense agony that was giving birth, combined with the emotional and psychological trauma of watching the Gaiaphage, the creature responsible for causing more suffering than possible, turning a tiny baby into nothing more than an avatar for some twisted game, had been enough for Diana to snap. She had abandoned Caine, Sam, Perdido Beach, Lake Tramonto, everything that gave off a sense of comfort in the FAYZ, all because of an uncontrollable urge to make sure that her baby was okay. Diana let out a moan. She had blown it, bigger than ever before, and was now almost certainly stuck to play mother to the Gaiaphage until she had outlived her usefulness. And after that wasn't worth thinking about. In the end, death would come to her, but if it was at the hand of Gaia, then it was guaranteed that by the end of it all, Diana would be willing to do anything to die. Because as much as it pained her to say it, Diana wouldn't be strong enough to resist the Gaiaphage.

"My life is just a bunch of poor decisions," Diana whispered, letting out a deep breath. She looked over at the beautiful monster that was Gaia again. She was still fixated on the diminishing flames, silently mouthing words that Diana couldn't hear.

"Come on, Nemesis," Gaia cooed, her words dripping with a sickening malice that didn't fit her tiny form, "You know you want the end. Who doesn't?" The ominous, deadly words coming out from the small girl's voice sent chills throughout Diana. The end was coming; the lifespan of the FAYZ was ending.

And Diana knew, deep down, that she wouldn't be alive to see the few remaining kids meet up with their families after nearly a year's separation.

* * *

Little Pete felt different. He couldn't explain what it was, but something necessary had changed; that much he did know. The balance of power had shifted; both he and the Darkness were equals in terms of power; it reminded him of something his sister once called yin and yang. Darkness and light. Good and evil. The Darkness was always the equal opposite to Pete, but it was growing stronger than before, and as it did so, he was weakening.

And yet, oddly enough, Pete didn't feel anything towards it. It was an almost liberating feeling, to know that his bizarre existence was coming to an end. From the moment of birth, Peter Ellison had never been normal; the severe autism had left him crippled. Everything was a sensory overload, a powerful blur of harsh light and sound. And Pete came to accept that as the norm. But even his ruined cage of a body had recognised that the world was no longer normal; the harsh sounds had different qualities to them, and the painful light was less frequent. And it all built up over time, until the moment of his physical body's death, brought on by his sister as a last minute attempt to save herself from the creatures of the Darkness. After that, his mind had been freed from his body, and he had become what he was now. His physical death was the most liberating thing to have happened to him, to know that he was free from the autism, and the harsh way that his body perceived the world. But he was still limited after this liberation; Pete still didn't have perfect handling over his powers. He wasn't able to play with the complex shapes that were people; the bouncing girl, Taylor, was testament to that. And now, Pete could only watch over the shapes, unable to interact with them in any way.

Pete looked down on the abstract shapes of the people. There were two large concentrations of people, on opposite sides of the barrier that encompassed their world. But the tiny pocket of people away from them drew Pete's attention. There were three figures; the first was as normal as any other; the second's pattern had been altered by the Darkness, and the third was releasing pitch black tendrils from it, reaching around. The Darkness' human body. It was this body that gave it more power, and was the thing that was draining Pete. The tendrils noticed Pete looking down on them, and changed direction, moving into his space.

_Nemesis, it won't be so bad._ The voice of the darkness was whispering him, violating his sanctuary. But Pete did nothing, watching as the tendrils danced around. _The end is coming Nemesis, you know that. The most exciting part; the most liberating part; the end. Come on, Nemesis, you know you want the end. Who doesn't?_

The Darkness left Pete's space, and the tendrils began to reach out around, away from him. But as they did so, Pete noticed something. The Darkness was also weakening; the grip it so firmly held around the few people it had managed to touch was weakening. He and the Darkness were connected; if one weakened, so did the other. And even though the Darkness now had something to attach itself to, it was still able to be affected by Pete. If he faded away, ceased to exist, then the Darkness would have the same happen to it. Pete could fade to the brink of existence, but never die; the Darkness wouldn't allow itself to perish needlessly. Which meant that Pete would be there until the end.

The very end.

* * *

Dahra Baidoo walked down through the basement of the town hall; the makeshift hospital that had been around since the dawn of the FAYZ. For almost a year, she had spent her time down here, tending to kids with a variety of problems, from broken limbs, to simple cuts, to illnesses of all forms. Those with the most severe injuries tended to go to Lana first, but if the Healer wasn't available, then Dahra would care for them as best she could until the girl with the healing touch could fix them up.

But now, the hospital was empty. Beds that kids occupied less than three days ago were now abandoned, the covers still a mess. When the barrier turned transparent, each and every last kid had managed to haul themselves up to the wall of the FAYZ, in a desperate hope to see their families. Dahra hadn't gone up to the barrier yet, and didn't intend to. It was just another kick to the teeth; they were so close to the world they knew and loved, but the wall was still there, still indestructible. It would be too painful to see; almost every kid in Perdido Beach, piled up against the barrier, desperately screaming and crying for their parents, siblings, friends. Dahra sighed. At least it meant that she could relax, even if it was only for a little while. There was never any time for rest, really, in the FAYZ. Just waiting for the next disaster to hit them.

The sound of crying outside alerted Dahra's attention. Rest was over. She walked up the stairs, and out of the building, taking in the night air. A full moon shone down over the FAYZ, and there was an eerie silence about the town. A light breeze blew through the air, carrying the sharp scent of salt, lowering the temperature. Dahra shivered for a moment, but walked onto the pavement, finding the source of the crying.

A small girl, maybe six at the oldest, had fallen into one of the holes in the road; one of the countless battle scars. Her legs were in the hole, the rest of her body slumped on the road. For a minute, Dahra considered the possibility that she was unconscious, before a high wail came from the girl's lips, her lopsided ginger hair bouncing with each sob. Gritting her teeth, Dahra walked over to the girl, bending down to her level.

"Are you okay?" Dahra asked softly, the girl looking up at her. She had a soft, pale face, with wide blue eyes, and a large scar that ran across her cheek. A sign that this girl had most likely been in extreme danger.

"It hurts," she whined, motioning to her leg, "And I'm stuck!" Dahra watched the girl struggling to get out of the hole. She had to help.

"Don't worry," Dahra said, "I'll help you." She grabbed the girl's hands, and began to pull her up. Dahra found that the girl was heavier than she anticipated, and she felt herself struggling. But she didn't give up, and pulled the girl out of the hole, the pair of them falling to the floor. Dahra quickly climbed to her feet, brushing some dust off her clothes, and turned to face the girl. But she had managed to get up before her, and was limping desperately down the street; without checking, Dahra could see that the girl had broken her ankle.

"Ow!" Dahra winced as the girl screamed, stopping. It was a bad break, and not something that Dahra could deal with for a while; this required immediate attention from Lana. If the Healer was willing to help with something like this.

"Hey!" Dahra called out, rushing up to the girl, who was crying again, "You shouldn't run with your leg like that; it will only hurt you. You need to go see the Healer before rushing around."

"But I can't go there!" The girl screamed, "I have to see my mommy!" A crushing feeling filled Dahra's insides. This poor girl was going to join the others at the barrier, hoping to see her family. She had to try a different approach.

"What's your name?" Dahra asked the girl, smiling as warmly as she could.

"M-Melissa," she replied weakly.

"Well, Melissa," Dahra said, "I don't think that your mommy would want to see you with a broken leg, would she?"

"Mommy always said that I should be careful," Melissa told Dahra, in a way that stabbed with nostalgia and longing. Chances were that Dahra's mother was with Melissa's; on the other side of the barrier, looking in, hoping that their children would show themselves. And for just a moment, Dahra considered going up to the barrier, if just to let her mother know that she was alive and well. Realising what she was thinking, Dahra shook her head lightly.

"So wouldn't it be a good idea to make sure that your mommy knows that you've been careful?" Dahra was choosing her words carefully; she had to convince Melissa to go to Lana without upsetting her; experience had taught her that young kids tended to over-react at the smallest of things.

"Mommy did ground me last time she saw me hurt myself," Melissa said, as if she were reciting the words; reading from a script of memories. "Okay, you can take me to make my leg better." Dahra smiled wearily, grabbing Melissa's hand as they walked down what remained of Alameda Avenue, relying on the glow of the moon to navigate Perdido Beach at night as safe as possible; safety was buy an illusion in the FAYZ, the reality hitting them far too many times.

As they drew closer to Clifftop, Dahra noticed something in the distance. The hills partially obscured it, but she could still see it. A vast spectrum of colourful lights shone brightly, casting an odd hue over herself and Melissa. Dahra remained mesmorised by the light for a moment, before turning to Melissa, feeling temptation creeping into the edges of her mind. Should she look over there? Technically, she wouldn't be seeing her mother, just the source of the light. But there was also Melissa to take into account. Dahra let out another sigh, conflicted for just a moment. However, curiosity got the better of her, and Dahra found herself climbing up the nearest hill, Melissa right behind her. Reaching the top of the hill, Dahra stood to her feet, and gaped in awe at everything in front of her.

An endless sea of lights greeted her, the sheer brightness seeming to drown out the desperate cries of the kids that filled the highway, each one focusing on the people on the other side, who were soundlessly screaming back at them. Adults. Actual, genuine adults. Dahra stared in disbelief. It was surreal, to say the least; for nearly a year, the oldest people were fifteen, and yet, now, Dahra could make out the shape of an elderly woman with wiry grey hair, sat in a wheelchair, looking into the FAYZ. She couldn't make out her expression, but Dahra knew why the woman was there; she was looking for one of the kids that had been trapped in here. Odds were that that kid was dead, and that Dahra had probably witnessed them die. That thought sent a sickening chill throughout her, and not for the first time, Dahra felt guilty for still being alive. She looked away from the sea of people, and towards the lights. It was if they had set up a tourist resort; Dahra recognised the shining signs of several major businesses; a hotel chain, a Starbucks, and a convenience store; open 24/7. They didn't affect her, but as soon as Dahra saw the golden 'M' of the McDonald's, she began to cry.

They were all so close to the real world; escape from this hell. But that barrier still stood in the way; that stupid barrier. The barrier that had rapidly changed over the past week. The barrier that could potentially come down at any moment. For the first time since perhaps the coming of the FAYZ, Dahra felt hope. If the barrier came down, then she would be free from the nightmare, and would be able to see her mother again. And every inch of her body was screaming that the barrier was going to come down very soon. She had to get down there.

Dahra ran down the hill, tears falling from her face as Melissa stumbled after her, towards the highway. The two reached the battered road, vanishing from sight as the McDonald's sign slowly rotated in a clockwise motion.

* * *

Sam Temple stood on the deck of the boat in nothing but his underwear, leaning over the rails, breathing in time with the gradual rocking of the boat. Astrid was asleep downstairs, unaware that he had crept out. But right now, he had something other than being with Astrid on his mind.

Sam looked up, watching a faint light soar across the sky; a plane. Something that he never really was aware of until now. The barrier now showed no illusion; the real world was now visible, and they could see into the FAYZ. See the destruction. See the lack of survivors. And of course, most people agreed that this was a sign that the end of the FAYZ was rapidly approaching. If so, what would his mother say to him? What would he say to his mother? That would surely be an interesting conversation; he'd have to explain how he was responsible for countless deaths in the FAYZ, and she'd have to explain how she had actually given birth to twins, and managed to hide him from Sam for almost fifteen years of his life. That was provided that he got the chance to speak with his mother.

If the barrier came down, then most of the kids in the FAYZ, and nearly all those with powers would be classed as murderers; some would even be classed as serial killers. The law would tear them apart more than the Gaiaphage ever would. That could be solved with a big enough attack, but nothing could stop the law; attacking would result in an even worse sentence.

A sound that seemed to be a mixture of a sigh and a groan came from Sam's lips as he rested his chin on his arms, a soft breeze chilling his bare back. He should probably go back inside, back to Astrid, where they would be together in the ultimate loving embrace. Another criminal charge; under-age sex. Sam knew that if the barrier came down, then he'd be locked up for an extremely long time, maybe even for life. The future was not going to be promising for anyone.

But before all of that would be an issue, though, they still had the major issue of the Gaiaphage. It had gone from being an ominous pile of green ooze in the mineshaft to being reborn in the body of Diana's baby. If it was still a baby; the small girl was growing at an alarming rate. But he didn't want to think of any of that, and instead went to thinking of Astrid, laying naked in the bed, sleeping lightly. Maybe if she woke up in a little while, as she tended to do in the early hours of the morning, then they could perhaps continue with their lust-filled passion.

And have a repeat offence added to their criminal charges.

Sam wiped his eyes with his hands, the same hands that had the power to kill people, and looked up at the sky. The full moon was shining down, almost giving off an impression of calmness. And as Sam looked up at the moon, he began to wonder if it was perhaps for the better that they were still inside the FAYZ.


	2. Two

**Two**

**71 Hours 23 Minutes**

* * *

The FAYZ had a fan base. Like it was the latest hit movie, or novel, or TV series. A gaggle of teenage girls swarmed the barrier, silently screaming as they held up signs, each having pre-set charity messages on them, such as 'Pray 4 Perdido Beach', or 'Never Forget the Kids'.

Dekka watched the whole scene with a mixture of amusement, irritation, and shame. To them, she was nothing more than an attraction; a temporary novelty. But she was also a symbol of hope; Dekka's presence here meant that the settlement at Lake Tramonto was now known. More kids were alive than they initially thought. At least for now; what they didn't know was that everyone in the FAYZ was playing the waiting game with the Gaiaphage, anticipating when it would strike. The barrier going transparent had been a little bit too coincidental; it served as a distraction whilst the Gaiaphage grew stronger. And it wasn't just emotional family reunions that kept the kids distracted. Unsurprisingly, the media's attention had also been drawn to the now clear FAYZ, an endless barrage of reporters down near Perdido Beach, holding bizarre interviews. Brianna had informed them that it was done by writing down their responses. Supposedly, Brianna had only watched a small part of one interview, but knowing the Breeze, as she called herself, she had probably taken the spotlight for herself.

It was all part of Brianna's charm. Brash. Boisterous. Care-free. If there was one positive thing about the FAYZ, it was that it had allowed for Dekka and Brianna to grow closer, even if it was more like a sisterly relationship than anything else. For the most part, Dekka had abandoned the romantic attraction for Brianna, but she was still the person she cared about the most in the FAYZ. And with the endgame coming up, Dekka found herself worrying more and more. There was a high chance that at least one of them would be put in harm's way when the Gaiaphage made its move, and if Brianna was among the evidential list of casualties... Dekka wasn't sure if she would be able to carry on if such a thing happened.

A camera flashed, causing Dekka to shut her eyes, to protect herself from the blinding light. Wiping her eyes, Dekka grimaced at the source of it. A news truck had pulled up just outside of the barrier, and a man with greasy brown hair and a messy goatee was setting up a camera, pointing right at Dekka.

"How wonderful," she muttered under her breath, watching as the man walked back to the truck. He came back holding a large tablet, and began to write a message on it.

_Are you Dekka Talent? _Dekka nodded, realising what this was. She was being interviewed for some news station. _Excellent. The Breeze has told us all about you. _Dekka felt her heart skip a beat for a moment, and her cheeks flushed. Brianna had mentioned her in one of the many interviews that she had most likely taken part in. It was both honouring and humiliating at the same time; it was so Brianna. The man was typing in another question, and Dekka stood there patiently, realising she had been roped into the one thing that Sam had explicitly told everyone at the lake not to do: don't sell stories to the news reporters. But she couldn't exactly leave. It would be far too rude, and it would draw even more attention; Dekka Talent, the girl who walked away from her interview.

However, at that moment, Dekka was thrown to the ground, a blur on top of her. She didn't even have to look up to tell who it was.

"Dekka! It's me, the Breeze!" As predicted. Dekka climbed to her feet, wiping the dirt off her clothes, and looked over at Brianna. She was doing some sort of giddy dance on the spot, a goofy smile on her face.

"Brianna," Dekka said, "What's got you so happy?"

"You know the news station I told you about yesterday?"

"Yeah,"

"Well, I told the reporter about the lake, and promised him an interview!" Brianna let out a light giggle, "Have you seen him yet? Tall guy, long hair in a ponytail, funny beard?"

"Brianna," Dekka said, "He's at the barrier, filming this." Brianna went red for a moment, and turned around slowly, looking at the FAYZ wall. Her eyes met the reporter's, and she gave a sheepish grin to the camera.

"Oh yeah," she said.

"So, Brianna," Dekka said, "Since there is literally no way that the news truck is faster than you, what took you so long getting here?"

"Oh, that," Brianna replied, pulling out a chunk of a chalkboard, complete with six chalks, "I needed something for the interview, and there was something else."

"What?"

"One of the kids told me that they'd seen Drake in one of the fields," Brianna's tone had darkened, her voice quiet, "So I had to go and check it out. There wasn't any sign of anyone hanging around, but half the crops had been taken." Dekka went silent, not even breathing.

"What?" her voice was a whisper, "Drake's taking food from the fields, presumably to feed the Gaiaphage, and instead of reporting to Sam or Edilio, you're playing celebrity?" Dekka did nothing to hide the fury in her tone.

"Jeez," Brianna huffed, "I'm so sorry that I'd rather have one last minute of happiness before what is essentially the sick love-child of Satan and ET comes and raises all hell." Dekka glared dangerously at Brianna. This was the downside to the Breeze; she had the tendency to goof around during serious moments. "Come on, Dekka, we can tell the others later; I'm pretty sure the Gaiaphage can wait a half-hour." Dekka sighed, knowing she would regret her decision.

"Okay, Brianna, let's do this."

An excited giggle came from Brianna's lips, and she made a hand gesture to the man, who nodded. He turned to two women behind him, who were operating a large screen, which presumably showed what the FAYZ looked like on screen, and said something to them. They also nodded, and the man returned to the camera, using his free hand to count down from three. Once he was done, the screen flickered to life, showing the news station's logo, quickly replaced with Dekka and Brianna. Dekka looked at the bright screen as a reporter appeared in the corner, introducing the interview. The reporter finished talking, and the screen was filled with only Brianna and Dekka. Dekka's glance shifted to the man, who lifted up his tablet.

_Good morning, Breeze and Dekka. How are you two girls dealing with the Perdido Beach anomaly? _Seriously? This was what they were starting out with? Dekka bit back her words, watching as Brianna wrote down her answer on the chalkboard. Her power, speed, wasn't exclusively limited to running; Brianna could also write at extreme speed. Brianna's hand was a blur as crudely formed letters took shape. Finally, Brianna's hand stopped moving, and she lifted her chalkboard, showing the message.

_It could be worse. We have a boat on the lake where we live. We also have freshly grown food._ Dekka looked at the crowd surrounding the interview. Relief was plastered over their faces. But before it could sink in, Brianna erased the text on the chalkboard, adding to her statement. _It's almost like a survival vacation. Except for the Darkness. It keeps trying to kill us. So does Drake. But I'm ready for them: they're no match for the Breeze! _The reporter's jaw, along with Dekka's, dropped. Of all the things Brianna could have said, she had to mention the Gaiaphage and Drake Merwin. Dekka covered her face with her hand, shaking her head slightly. But she quickly returned to her previous stance; fairly reserved, with a slight air of politeness. She dared to look back at Brianna's chalkboard, and saw the latest addition to the current message. _It'll be so much fun to kill them! :D_ The smiley face had just pushed it too far. Dekka grabbed the chalkboard from Brianna's hands, staring coldly at her.

"Hey!" Brianna protested, "What gives?!"

"You know what gives," Dekka snapped, "Casually mentioning the Gaiaphage and Drake to the world? I have to say that that's one of your more stupid moves."

"Hey," Brianna rolled her eyes, "I'm only telling the truth."

"You're telling horror stories!" Dekka told her, "Think about it; imagine you've never been inside the FAYZ, and some girl with super speed tells you about someone named Drake and some force called the Darkness trying to kill all the kids, and that she wants to kill them. Just think about how that sounds, and imagine that you're one of the kids' parents." Brianna's face went ashen.

"You're right," she said, "Damn, have I screwed up."

"Sam's going to kill you when he finds out, you realise?" Dekka groaned, and dropped the chalkboard to the floor, storming away from the barrier.

"What are you doing?!" Brianna called to Dekka, shooting a confused glance to the interview team.

"Getting away from here," Dekka said, "And you're coming with me; the interview's over. And if you don't, then I'll just have to tell Sam what you said." Brianna's eyes widened dramatically, and took a step forward.

"Wait for me!" Brianna walked up to Dekka, leaving the chalkboard on the floor, and leaving those at the barrier very confused.

Dekka's mind was racing, none of her thoughts relating to the failed interview, but instead on what Brianna had failed to prioritise. Drake was once more lurking around, taking food from the fields. Since he couldn't die, the food wasn't for himself, and there was no way that he cared about Diana enough; he probably wanted her to starve. Which only left one other person that would need feeding: Diana's baby. The Gaiaphage. It had recovered enough to be eating, which meant that they didn't have much time until it struck.

They reached the shore of the lake, and Edilio walked up to them.

"Hey girls," he said with a friendly tone, "What's with the urgency?"

"Edilio," Dekka said, short of breath, "We need to go see Sam: Brianna found out that the Gaiaphage is sending Drake to pretty much decimate the fields to feed itself." Edilio's face turned grim.

"This isn't good at all," he said, nervously grabbing his gun, "You're right; Sam needs to know of this." Edilio took off with Dekka and Brianna, the trio rushing along the shore, Brianna slowing her pace to match the others', towards the houseboat.

* * *

Sam and Astrid stood on the deck of the houseboat, hand in hand, looking over the lake. Astrid's grip on him was tense, like there was something eating away at her. She looked across the lake, where the FAYZ wall cut them off from the rest of the world. There was a small boat on the other side of the lake with two young men inside it, waving desperately at the barrier, hoping for one of the kids to interact. Nobody did. Just like Sam and Edilio had instructed; the kids weren't to get distracted by the outside world, and continue as normal. Caine had instructed this down in Perdido Beach, as well. But it didn't stop over half of the population of the FAYZ piling up at the highway, spending the past two days hopelessly trying to contact their families.

The carefully constructed society that they had all created was falling apart.

And that was on top of an even bigger problem; Gaia was out there, somewhere, growing, recovering, preparing to strike. And all those kids down there just made them an even bigger target. The endgame. That's what everybody believed it was; they all believed that the FAYZ was ending. That they would get out pretty soon. Exactly the same things that people had said nearly a year ago, after the first major battle in Perdido Beach. But this time, even Sam recognised that something had changed; there was an air of finality about the place. It gave him an uneasy feeling. He knew what the final battle would be; the kids of the FAYZ against Gaia and Drake, and potentially Diana as well, depending on her mental state. If she was still like what she was when Gaia was first born, then Diana was too weak to do anything but obey her child without question. And once that battle was over, the barrier would come down, and the FAYZ would be over. Or so he hoped. But knowing the Gaiaphage, as a final act, it would make it so that the kids would never get out of the FAYZ. The thought unnerved Sam to no end.

"Hey, Sam!" Edilio's voice snapped Sam out of his morbid thoughts, and he and Astrid looked over the other side of the boat, seeing Dekka, Brianna, and Edilio making their way on board, "We have to talk."

"This can't be good," Astrid said, her underlying tension turning into immediate concern for the situation, "Edilio's only like this when something bad's going on." She was right; Edilio was calm and collected, never stressing out over things that others would. He was wise beyond his years, and it was this attitude that had made him a powerful figure in the FAYZ. During this whole experience, he had gone from an illegal immigrant trying to lay low to the person in charge of Lake Tramonto. In fact, Sam was certain that if he died, everything would still go smoothly with Edilio in charge.

Brianna was the first to burst onto the deck, wide eyed, followed by a slightly out of breath Dekka and Edilio.

"Breeze," Sam said, "What's going on?"

"It depends," Dekka said in Brianna's place, "Which person's priorities do you want to hear?" She said this with a bitter tone, and Sam exchanged a glance with Astrid. This wasn't the first time that there had been tension between Dekka and Brianna, mostly due to Dekka's one-sided crush, and it should be clear that now wasn't the time for things like that.

"Dekka, I guess you'll be telling us then." Astrid said wearily, sighing.

"Okay," Dekka said, taking a deep breath, "Whilst Brianna was out getting interviewed for the hundredth time, a kid approached her in-between her sessions of playing celebrity." Dekka's slight scowl faded, replaced with a stony expression, "And they told Brianna that they'd seen Drake in one of the fields." An uneasy silence fell over the five of them, each one exchanging terse glances. To Sam, it felt as if they knew that a storm was coming, and the thick black clouds had appeared on the horizon, rolling in quickly. But this wouldn't be a storm; this would be a full-blown hurricane.

"That's it?" Sam asked, foolish for doing so. He knew that there would be more than that; Drake Merwin, also known as Whip Hand, wouldn't hang around somewhere so public for no reason.

"Sam, you should know better," Dekka said, "Brianna went to check out this field, and found that at least half of the food was gone." Sam froze, not even daring to breathe. He knew exactly what the servant of the Gaiaphage had done, and why.

"He's feeding Gaia," Astrid took the words right out of his mouth, "Which means that the body's recovering at a much faster rate than we anticipated."

"This is just filled with problems," Edilio said, "Even if the Gaiaphage doesn't attack, it still needs to feed. Which means that our food supply will be gone, and we'll be starving once more."

"Let's just hope that Gaia doesn't acquire a taste for Nutella," Brianna said, folding her arms, "Because I don't want to go back to eating raw pigeon again."

"If there are any pigeons left," Edilio countered, his face in a deep frown, "If Gaia's appetite increases, then Drake'll end up picking all the food in the FAYZ to feed his master. And we're barely prepared to face the Gaiaphage as it is, never mind if everyone's starving as well."

"So what do you suggest?" Sam asked, "Get a group of people to go out and try to stop the Gaiaphage?"

"No," Edilio said, "It'd be too dangerous, and we can't lose anyone important right now. I'm thinking more along the lines of getting those with strong powers to guard the major fields."

"But most of them are in Caine's territory," Astrid added.

"True, but once we explain our plan to him, he'll most likely end up agreeing," Sam said, "He may be egotistic, but he isn't an idiot."

"So, when should we go down to see Caine?" Edilio asked.

"Some time today," Sam said, "In fact, we should go as soon as possible."

"But there is a chance that Caine will be wanting to start a fight or something," Brianna said.

"You're right," Sam replied, "Breeze, go and find Toto; we'll need him to make sure that nothing dishonest is said. The one thing we don't need right now is lying."

"Got it," Brianna said, and before Sam's lips formed a 'thanks', she was gone.

"What about the rest of us?" Dekka asked.

"Dekka, you and Astrid will stay here to keep everything under control whilst we're gone."

"Okay then," she said, nodding firmly, "I'll go outside and tell everyone to report anything to either me or Astrid."

"Okay," Sam said, watching as Dekka walked off the boat.

"I'll go get a truck ready," Edilio said, following Dekka, leaving Sam and Astrid alone on the boat once more.

"Sam, be careful," Astrid said to him in an anxious voice, "I know that you know how to deal with Caine, but just don't do anything stupid, okay?" Sam nodded, and before he could say any more, Astrid brought her lips to his, and Sam melted into the kiss, everything fading away until it was just him and Astrid, a slight wind blowing around them, and the faint hum of the truck's engine in the distance.


	3. Three

**Three**

**69 Hours 34 Minutes**

* * *

Sam sat in the back seat of the truck, next to Toto, as Edilio carefully drove down the highway. The windows were shut, and the truck was crawling down the road, making the whole thing a very hot and uncomfortable experience.

"Edilio," he said, growing tired of sitting in the truck, "How much longer until we reach PB? I can't take much longer in this car."

"That is true," Toto said, "He cannot take much longer in the car."

"I don't know the exact time, man," Edilio said back to the two, "But judging from where we are, maybe another half-hour or so." Sam sighed, slumping his face into his hands, looking out of the window at the barren landscape. The horizon was dotted with several bright shapes; the real world, he supposed. But then again, there wasn't much of anything out here, so it had to be the rest of the planet. Watching the FAYZ. Captivated by a couple of hundred kids that were starving, traumatised, and fighting to survive every day. Unable to do anything but watch, distracting the kids from the horrors of the FAYZ. It was amazing what seeing your parents could do to you. His mother was down there, and Astrid's parents, probably. Who knew? Perhaps if the two of them went down to the barrier, together, then they could take comfort in knowing that their children were happy together.

"He doesn't believe that, Spidey," Toto murmured, fixated on one of the various cracks on the windows. Sam stared at him. Edilio slowed the truck down.

"Hold on. What are you on about?" Edilio questioned, looking at Toto through the mirror. The strange boy was staring blankly into space, a hand clenching his long hair.

"Sam," Toto responded, "Sam doesn't believe that his and Astrid's parents will take comfort in knowing about their relationship." Sam's blood turned to ice.

"But Sam didn't say anything," Edilio said, confused.

"His mouth didn't," Toto said, "But his mind did. Didn't it, Spidey?"

Sam and Edilio stared in a mixture of confusion, awe, and horror at Toto. This wasn't normal. Even for the continual abnormality of the FAYZ, something was terribly wrong.

"My mind?" Sam said aloud, "Toto, are you saying you can read thoughts now?"

"Yes," Toto replied, "Is that not right?"

"Listen, Toto," Sam said, "There's not right, and then there's this. Something's happened to you, Toto; I think your powers have grown." Toto's eyes widened as Sam continued, "And that can only mean that the Gaiaphage is somehow interfering with you."

"Y-You," Toto whimpered, his voice breaking, "You're not lying." Sobs came from the boy as he buried his face in his hands, shuddering. Even though Toto had spent the first eight months of the FAYZ in solitude, even he knew of the Gaiaphage, and what it was capable of. And the sheer fact that Toto had been affected meant that Gaia was growing stronger. Sam and Edilio locked eyes; a silent conversation of mutual agreement.

"Edilio, pick up the speed," Sam said, "We need to get to Perdido Beach. Right now."

* * *

Drake Merwin climbed the hills near the mineshaft, his one human arm holding a bag full of lettuces. It was enough to feed about twelve people, but it was only for Gaia's mouth; he didn't need to eat any more, and that bitch Diana could go starve for all he cared. In fact, that would actually be ideal; Caine's former pet, shrivelling away pitifully whilst the true ruler of the FAYZ grew in strength, ready to destroy all those who opposed it. The only thing he didn't like was that the Gaiaphage's human form was that of a girl. A stupid, pathetic, weak girl. A girl that Drake could snap like a twig if he so wished. But he wouldn't do so; girl or not, it was still the almighty Darkness, no questioning.

Reaching the top of the hill, Drake sauntered along the dirt floor, the sun beating fiercely on him, aware that he wouldn't burn in the sun, nor would he feel the heat. Instead, his whip-arm twitched in anticipation of things to come; when Gaia had recovered, the slaughter would come. He was sure of it; it was a divine vision of Gaia and her loyal subjects walking out of a bloodbath as the FAYZ wall came down, ready to take on the entire planet. It was going to be glorious, and very soon, everyone that stood in their way would be dead. Sam. Caine. Diana. Astrid. Brianna. All of them. Drake let a sadistic grin cross his features as he walked towards the dead fire where Gaia sat, staring at him, Diana staring off into space.

"Bring me the food," Gaia demanded. Drake complied, dropping the lettuces onto the floor. Gaia descened on the food like a savage beast, tearing and shredding the meal at unnatural speed, until nothing was left. "Is that it?"

"Yes," Drake said. Gaia's eyes flared with anger in response, and for the first time in forever, Drake felt true fear.

"Do you really expect me to thrive off mere _scraps_?!" Gaia screeched, "I wouldn't even feed something so pathetic to my slave!" She motioned to Diana, who stared hungrily at a shred of leaf blowing in the wind. But before Diana could grab the scrap, Gaia raised her palm, and a blinding light came from it. Sam's light.

Drake and Diana both backed off as Gaia continued to roast the shreds of leaf until all that remained was a tiny pile of ash. The light stopped.

"Whoa," Drake said, "Since when did you have Sammy's power?"

"I have always had the power," Gaia said, irritated, expecting Drake and Diana to already know this. They stared at her in confusion. This wasn't going anywhere. "Let me explain for your pathetic curiosity's sake: I created each power for the purpose of helping me, and as such, I have access to all the power."

"You do?" Diana said, not really asking, but with an implied curiosity there.

"Yes," Gaia rolled her eyes, "I have your powers, my body's father's powers, the killing light, gravity manipulation, speed, the ability to discern the truth, invisibility, and healing."

"What about Penny?" Diana asked, "You didn't mention hallucinations."

"That is because I can't access the power if the host body is dead, you moron." Gaia said harshly, before turning to Drake. "You. I still hunger. Bring me something with more sustenance." Drake nodded, and crept off, leaving Diana alone with the child.

Yesterday Gaia's body had been roughly equivalent to a five year old's. Today, she looked closer to nine. Gaia was growing rapidly. The time for her to begin her plan was coming up very soon. But she was still a human at the end of the day, and she was doubled over with stomach cramps; her body wasn't used to intense hunger.

_Well, get used to it, _Diana thought wryly, _This is the FAYZ, kid._ Part of her felt wrong for thinking that; she was, in effect, watching her own child starve. No, not her child, a vessel for the Gaiaphage. Diana looked over to Gaia, following Gaia's gaze to the figure of Drake, vanishing from sight.

"You know he won't come back with any more than a shrivelled rat," Diana told Gaia, "We're not exactly known for our nutrition."

"Then where can I find wholesome food?" Gaia demanded, clutching her stomach, not seeing the dark smile on Diana's face. She could have fun with this.

"Outside the barrier," she began, "Out there, it's a whole new world; endless food everywhere. Pizza, ice cream, chocolate..." Without realising it, Diana had started to drool. She wiped her face quickly in embarrassment.

"That sounds fitting," Gaia said in an unsteady voice, licking her lips.

"Too bad we can't have any of that; the FAYZ is all out of good food."

Gaia's mouth started to say words, but was stopped by a blinding flash of light. Her eyes dilated and she turned to the FAYZ wall. Diana did the same, and stared in disbelief at the idiots near the barrier.

A group of teenagers were stood near the barrier, taking pictures of the mother and daughter, talking as they shared a large bag of tortilla chips. It was unreal, seeing them all like that. They were maybe a year older than Diana at the most, but looked like they were from another planet; perfectly styled hair, designer clothing, and all that food.

"Is that what you mean?" Gaia asked, gazing at them longingly.

"Exactly what I mean," Diana replied, not even attempting to hide the envy in her tone.


	4. Four

**Four**

**68 Hours 55 Minutes**

* * *

Caine Soren sat on the steps of the church, looking out over the empty streets of Perdido Beach. The town was deserted, save for a few people; himself, Lana, Quinn, and the Brattle-Chance kids. Orc as well, but he was generally wandering between Perdido Beach and the lake with a Bible in his large stony hands. There were a couple more here and there, but they were the only ones that mattered. Even Dahra Baidoo, the resident doctor of the town, had upped and left. It was no mystery as to where they had gone; they had all flocked to the barrier, hoping to see their parents, let them know they were okay.

The blur appeared two seconds before the gust of air hit him.

Caine looked at the panting form of Brianna with confusion. What was she doing here? There was no reason for her to be here with him, unless there was something more pressing at hand. And if that were the case, it probably meant Sam as well. And yet, despite the rising feeling dread, a wave of adrenaline rushed over Caine; an escape from the boring monotonous life that was being the king of Perdido Beach. Brianna saw the spark of joy in his eyes.

"Caine," she said, finally catching her breath. "We have a whole lot of bad news."

"Really?" he mused, "I didn't quite catch that pretty much everyone's down at the barrier, crying mommy and daddy all day every day."

"We're talking worse than that," Brianna said darkly, "Gaia. She's feeding off of the crops that Drake is stealing from the fields." Caine turned to ice at this. He knew he was supposed to be worried about that meaning no food, but that was something Quinn could deal with. No, what terrified him to the core was the news that the Gaiaphage was eating at such an alarming rate. In no world, FAYZ or not, was that good. It was clear that they were all on the precipice of the endgame; something that Caine had tried to keep under wraps from the easily scared population of Perdido Beach. Something that had ultimately failed in the end.

"Does Sam know?" Caine asked.

"Yeah, he's on his way now," Brianna said, "Edilio and Toto are coming, too, so don't try and BS your way out of anything Sam says." She glared coldly at him, folding her arms.

"Got it," Caine replied half-heartedly. He wasn't in the mood for fighting with Sam right now anyway.

The sound of the truck's engine filled the air, and Caine looked along the road, seeing the beaten up vehicle crawling towards him. Through the cracked wind-shield he could make out Edilio's face, contorted in concentration. Sam and Toto were most likely in the back.

"Over here!" Brianna cried out, waving so fast that her arm was nothing but a blur. The truck pulled to an abrupt stop, and Edilio hopped out of the vehicle, his normally passive face riddled with worry. Caine watched silently as Edilio opened the back door of the truck, Sam and Toto also hopping out, before the three of them joined up with Caine and Brianna.

"Caine," Sam began. "I have bad news."

"Yeah, I gathered that from what Brianna told me," Caine replied dryly. "So, you have any ideas on how to solve this problem?" He didn't mean to sound like he was making a snarky quip, but that was how it came out. Sam's resolve faltered for just a moment, but he didn't back down, something that Caine would normally expect his brother to do. He had grown.

"Me and Astrid, we talked this over, and realised that the only way to cut off Gaia's food source is if we pick literally everything at once," Sam suggested. "But we also realised that with their parents in plain sight, there is no way that even if you and I went down together that they would move. So we reached the same conclusion: there is only one way to get them all moving."

"Let me stop you right there, Sam," Caine cut in. "If you're gonna tell me that we need Albert back, then you'd be wasting precious seconds. I sent out four kids on one of the fishing boats yesterday to try and reason with him, in the hope that he realised the error of his cowardly blunder." He took a deep breath, letting out a sigh, and began to bite at his thumb, an annoying habit that he didn't quite have inclination to stop. "Instead of him returning, he fired one of his missiles at the boat. The explosion was visible even from here."

"That is true," Toto said absently.

"And the kids you sent out?" Edilio enquired.

"What do you think?" Caine said. "The explosion was so powerful that Quinn brought in several charred chunks of arms and legs along with the daily catch." A horrified silence fell over the group as they all processed the crushing information.

"So Albert's pretty much lost it," Brianna said. Caine nodded solemnly. "Well, this is just brilliant; there goes the only plan we have."

"Actually," Sam spoke up, hesitant. "I have thought of another plan, but I really didn't want to resort to it."

"That is true, Spidey," Toto said. "Sam doesn't want to resort to this plan."

"Then what the hell is this plan?" Caine demanded, a little too harshly.

"The plan is that you and I go out and find Drake and Gaia, and take them out before they can make their move." Caine's face turned to stone. The mere thought of going out there, searching for the Gaiaphage, and attempting to attack it, filled him with a deeper fear than anything he had felt for a long time; he could feel the Gaiaphage reaching out into his mind, telling him not to do it. And he agreed with the Gaiaphage; there was no way that he would be going out there.

"No." Caine finally said, his answer quite clearly catching Sam off guard.

"No?" Sam questioned. "Caine, I don't see any other choice here; we need to do something before they do. Because if we hold on any longer, then I have no idea if any of us will survive."

"Didn't you hear me?" Caine's voice was agitated, his entire body trembling. He couldn't fight the Gaiaphage. It would be pointless. Dangerous. Stupid. Exactly what the Gaiaphage wanted him to feel. "We can't fight it, Sam; fighting the Gaiaphage is impossible. And with it having a body, it will be much stronger than before." Sam's hurt expression lingered for a moment, the tension finally broken by Toto.

"He doesn't entirely believe it," he said to nobody in particular. "Caine believes, deep down, that the Gaiaphage may be easier to defeat. He is just too scared." Caine muttered a foul word under his breath.

"Really?" Brianna added. "You're scared of the Gaiaphage? It's in a human body; it can be killed just as easily as you and I."

"You don't understand," Caine said. "Even in a tiny, fragile body, the Gaiaphage is still stronger than all of us. Even if we have a slim hope of defeating it before it reaches full strength." All eyes were on him as he spoke. He knew that he had backed himself into a corner. Feeling his determination crumble, Caine sighed. "So I guess it's now or never if we're going to try anything."

Sam and Edilio breathed out a sigh of relief. Brianna had a grin on her face that seemed both triumphant and eager at the same time. Toto was staring off into space, occasionally muttering 'true' or 'that isn't true'. And Caine took in the whole scene, thinking over what he had committed himself to.

"Thank god," Sam said. "Caine, if we're gonna do this, though, we'll probably have to set off as soon as possible. Tonight would probably be a good time, since despite the sheer level of power, Gaia's body still needs rest."

"You're right," Caine said. "But what do we do until then?"

"Us?" Sam said. "We do nothing. However, we need to know their whereabouts. Breeze?"

"Yeah?"

"I want you to search the FAYZ for Diana, Drake, and Gaia. When you find them, don't interact. Just head straight back and tell us where they are. Got it?" Brianna nodded once, before zooming away.

"Now let's hope that Brianna doesn't do anything stupid," Edilio said wistfully. Sam nodded in agreement, and Caine bit at his thumb, aware that what they were doing was just removing the immediate threat. Even after the Gaiaphage was dead, the kids still wouldn't return to work as normal; the barrier going clear had ruined all of that. Even if Albert returned, there was no way that even he would be able to convince them to return to life as usual. Which only left one hope for all of this, one that Caine hoped was true.

Hopefully, killing the Gaiaphage meant killing the FAYZ itself.

* * *

Lana Arwen Lazar woke from a bizarre dream. It wasn't unusual for her dreams to take a strange turn, but this one was something else. She couldn't remember any exact details, except that she was subjected to strange, wondrous images, and that they filled her with a sense of awe, and dread. It didn't take a genius to realise where these images came from: the Gaiaphage was trying to reach out to her again.

"How freakin' wonderful," she muttered under her breath as she pulled herself out of her bed. "You have everything you want, Darkness: a body, slaves, and a pretty good view of the outside world. So what are you trying to do here?" She knew it was pointless talking like this, but it was better than silently taking it all in. That set her on edge, and already Lana could feel the stress rising inside her.

She needed a cigarette.

Lana walked across her room, careful not to wake Patrick, and reached the dresser on the other side. She opened the top drawer, revealing the pile of cigarette packs. It had decreased dramatically since she first started smoking, and from the looks of things, Lana would have to start rationing them soon. And then they would run out; Lana didn't want to think about what she would do if there were no more cigarettes in the FAYZ. Not that she was addicted or anything, it was just that smoking helped her remain calm when dealing with stressful situations. It was just poor luck that there was always something stressful happening in Lana's life. In fact, she could list every last stressful thing that had happened to her since the coming of the FAYZ. She had nearly died on that first day, only saved by her healing powers. She had then been taken hostage by the talking coyotes of the desert, and subjected to the Gaiaphage. After that, everything had just gone downhill even more; she had returned to the Gaiaphage again; she had to deal with that god-awful plague, and then there was that whole episode with Penny a couple of days ago. "My life is just one big ball of sunshine," Lana said wryly as she reached down to grab one of the packets of cigarettes. But it wasn't there. Gone.

An uneasy feeling sunk into Lana. This wasn't right. Crazy. But not impossible. No, nothing was impossible here. She looked into the drawer again. It was now empty. All of her cigarettes, gone just like that.

"Lana!" Sanjit's voice reached Lana, and she looked behind her as the door to her room flung open, Sanjit rushing in. "Lana, something strange is happening. I was helping Bowie get dressed when his shoes just vanished. And the pillow from my bed also disappeared."

"Yeah, welcome to the club," Lana said. "All of my cigarettes have just vanished as well."

"But what's causing it?" Sanjit asked, his eyes taking in every detail of Lana's room, as if the source of the problem would be laying in plain sight.

"Who knows?" Lana said. "It could be the barrier, the Gaiaphage, or some kid getting a new power." She paused for a moment, and let out a rueful chuckle. "Or maybe some other autistic kid had a mental breakdown and caused all of our necessities to poof out of the FAYZ."

"What?"

"Oh, never mind," Lana said. "It's a long story, Sanjit, and one I'd rather not share the agonising details of."

Suddenly, the half empty bottle of water on top of the dresser vanished. Followed by Lana's bedsheet. Patrick was sleeping on the corner of the sheet that was laying on the floor, and woke suddenly, leaping to his feet. He barked once, and then was gone.

Lana went numb, everything around her becoming insignificant as she stared at the space where Patrick was laying mere seconds ago. This wasn't happening; he couldn't be gone. It was just like when those who stepped out of the FAYZ a few months ago. And anyone who stepped out after the first week or so never came out the same; the horror tale of the mangled Mary managed to shock Lana in a way she was unfamiliar with. And if the same thing had happened to Patrick...

Lana fell to her knees, and began to sob uncontrollably.

* * *

Diana stared in disbelief as objects suddenly appeared around her. It was a bizarre combination of objects that didn't have anything in common with each other. A pillow. A pair of shoes. A bottle of water. And at least a hundred packs of cigarettes. And in the middle of this pile was Gaia, her face deep in concentration.

"What are you doing?" Diana asked. Gaia sighed in response, and rolled her eyes.

"Experimenting," she said flatly. "One power isn't working as I anticipated: the ability to teleport."

"Taylor's power?" Diana said. "But isn't she dead?"

"No," Gaia said. "She was touched by Nemesis, but her power is still there, only, I can only make things come to me." Diana raised an eyebrow at this.

"So you can't use her power correctly?"

"It's not that," Gaia said. "It's more that Nemesis has inadvertently given me a new power: making objects teleport to me could end up being useful." She paused for a moment, suddenly deep in thought. "I wonder..."

Gaia shut her eyes, and clenched her fists. Diana stepped back as the ground began to vibrate slightly, Gaia straining with focus. A large bedsheet suddenly appeared, covering the ground lightly, followed by a dog. Diana instantly recognised the animal; it was Patrick, Lana's dog. And when Gaia looked at him with hunger in her eyes, dread began to well up inside her.

"Gaia, tell me what you're planning to do with Patrick," Diana said, her eyes widening.

"Having lunch," Gaia replied nonchalantly. "If I were you, I'd stand back." Diana stood back without meaning to, and watched, frozen with horror, as Gaia lifted her hands up, palms facing outwards.

Twin beams of light burst from Gaia's hands, striking Patrick. He had just enough time to let out a terrified yelp before the effects of the light occurred. His fur burned off, and he fell to the ground, becoming nothing more than a smoking pile of charred flesh and bone. Gaia turned off the light.

Diana felt a wave of sickness come over her. Normally, she wouldn't be bothered by seeing a pet get turned into lunch, but this wasn't any pet; this was Patrick. He was essentially a part of Lana, and probably the only thing that kept her going. She watched in horror as Gaia strode over to the body, and ripped off one of his back legs effortlessly, tearing a chunk off of the thigh.

"No..." Diana said, backing off.

"What?" Gaia enquired. "Why are you like this? I have merely prepared my meal for today."

"That isn't any meal, you idiot," Diana spat. "That's Patrick! The Healer's dog!"

"The Healer?" Gaia paused for a moment, realising who Diana was talking about. "You speak as if it matters; I do not care about the psychological impact it will have on her. So long as her body is alive, I can still heal myself."

"You heartless monster," Diana said, feeling tears drip from her eyes. "How could you eat him?"

"Like you haven't done worse," Gaia said darkly, before glaring at Diana. A sharp pain like no other seized Diana's mind. She fell to the floor, whimpering in agony. "At least I'm not eating a human body; I'm not at your level yet." Images of Panda surfaced from the depths of Diana's mind. The way that she actually went back for seconds. The way his cooked flesh smelled so tantalising.

"_Make it stop!_" Diana screeched, rocking on the floor, her hands pressed to her head, racked by sobs. Gaia looked away, and the flashbacks and the pain stopped. Diana cried softly into the ground.

"Now, if you're quite finished," Gaia said. "I still require your knowledge of the workings of what you call the phase in order for a successful conquest." She tore off Patrick's other hind leg, and threw it at Diana. It hit her head, before falling to the floor just before her face. "So eat."


	5. Five

**Five**

**66 Hours 52 Minutes**

* * *

One minute Taylor was laying in one of the rooms in Clifftop. The next she was gone. There. Gone. No reason behind it. No choice. She had just bounced out of Clifftop. And she was now on the beach, where Mary had taken the jump all those months ago.

She was still as deformed as ever, except something felt off to her. Something was different, but she couldn't quite figure out what it was. Wait. Felt! She could feel again! Not anything physical, but Taylor could feel emotion. And right now, she felt horribly confused. She had suddenly become self-aware again after an eternity of nothing.

Suddenly, Taylor felt very cold. It was as if she had been enveloped in a sheet of snow. And then warmth. It was as if two different forces were trying to wrap themselves around her, neither one giving in. The cold feeling felt uncomfortable and unsure, but the warm one felt certain and dangerous. And it brought a mild pain to Taylor's nerveless body. She decided then and there that the cold feeling was the one that she preferred.

And then, the impossible: Taylor's severed limbs suddenly appeared again. Not in the way that Drake's whip grew slowly from the elbow, but they were just there. Perfectly normal. No deformity. Another blast of cold. Her skin had returned to its natural tone. Another. A fixed tongue. And one more. Taylor's hair returned to normal. Ha, normal. She laughed at that, and then smiled at the revelation that she could laugh again. The warm and cold feelings left her, and Taylor shakily stood up, feeling renewed. A sharp pain in her stomach told her otherwise. First things first: she had to grab something to eat. Albert hopefully wouldn't mind if she took a tiny amount of food, would he? That was, if she decided to tell him. With a mischievous smirk on her face, Taylor thought of her room on San Francisco De Sales Island, and bounced there.

Upon arrival, the first thing that Taylor realised was that she was naked. And the second was that she was staring down the barrel of a shotgun held by Albert.

* * *

Pete had done it. Somehow, he had managed to reach into the space that held his power, and restore the bouncing girl back to normal. Of course, the Darkness was reaching at the same time as him, but he had managed to stop it from actually touching her. But part of him felt as if it hadn't truly gone as perfectly as he had hoped. He sighed. Or whatever he was doing that his mind equated to sighing.

The Darkness was doing something, that much was sure. It was reaching into the space where the powers came from, and was playing with them... experimenting, for a better word. Something about it made Pete feel uneasy. The Gaiaphage had changed, had become more unstable than a patient manipulator. Insanity. That was the word. Pete could feel the Gaiaphage slipping into the psychotic state that so many within the ball had done so. And that there was the problem: a crazy person was impossible to predict. Yet even in this state of madness, the Darkness had a wild plan formed in the back of its mind. Pete didn't know exactly what, but whenever he tried to look into it, he felt an intense absence of the avatars that made up the people. Something bad was coming, and something that Pete couldn't let happen.

_Endgame, Nemesis,_ the voice of the Gaiaphage sounded out, _you know it's coming. But the question remains as to whether or not you will foolishly try and stop me?_ Pete heard, no, he felt the Darkness laughing. Even from within the confines of the body of the child known as Gaia, the Darkness still had access to all of its old tricks. It was reaching into Pete's space, trying to... trying to what? Pete was sure that even the Darkness had no idea what it was doing. _Don't doubt me, Nemesis. I always know what I am doing._ And then, the Gaiaphage touched Pete's mind.

For the first time, Pete felt the wholesome touch of the Darkness. It was confusing. It was terrifying. It was agonising. And impossible to resist. The touch of the Darkness proved too strong, and Pete lost his state of consciousness.

* * *

Brittney stood next to a pile of cigarettes, watching in awe as Gaia glowed slightly, deep in concentration. And then she felt it. Her god was finally able to hurt Nemesis! It was a glorious feeling, and Brittney's face contorted into a smile, her brace-encased teeth showing. Diana was sat on the ground, wearily staring at a charred piece of meat, trying to put on a mask of defiance. It wasn't working.

Gaia laughed, and Brittney laughed too. Diana looked at them with confusion.

"What?" she asked, the first thing that she had said in nearly two hours.

"Nemesis is weakening faster than I thought," Gaia said. "It won't be long now until I will be the one in control." Brittney and Diana didn't notice it, but Gaia's voice caught slightly.

"Oh, what pure joy!" Brittney exclaimed.

"Yeah," Diana said, rolling her eyes, before glancing nervously at Gaia.

_Good,_ Brittney thought. _She's learning to fear the one true Lord._

Still smiling to herself, Brittney didn't notice Gaia turning her head towards her.

"You," she barked. "Come here."

"Of course!" Brittney exclaimed, and bounded over to Gaia, instinctively dropping to her knees. Diana noticed an arrogant grin grow on Gaia's face, and scoffed. She had inherited Caine's ridiculous narcissism.

"Rise, my faithful follower," Gaia spoke in a powerful, commanding voice, something entirely unfitting for her physical body's age of ten. "I am going to grant you an enhancing ability, to give you more purpose." Brittney's face was glowing with sheer elation.

"Really?" she said, her voice dripping with euphoria. "I humbly accept."

Gaia reached forward, and placed her hand on Brittney's chest, palm facing towards her. And then, all at once, her body filled with a warm tingling feeling. Oh, how joyous! She was receiving divine powers from the one true Lord! Brittney looked over to Diana, and suddenly a green balloon floated through her: the same balloon that Brittney's parents had purchased for her birthday last year. Diana also seemed to notice it, and let out a confused gasp at it passed through her body, before a grim look of knowledge passed her features.

And at that exact moment, Brittney's body fell in half.

Gaia's hand was still on the torso when the blur slammed into her. She was blown back by the force, crashing into a nearby rock. The sensation of pain filled her right shoulder, and blood leaked from the impact. She could heal later. Right now, she had to deal with whatever was going on. Gaia raised her one good hand, and fired the killing light at the blur. She missed, and stumbled back, the blood loss weakening her. She placed her hand on the injured shoulder, causing the pain to immediately fade. Now she was ready to take on this threat.

"Who are you?!" Gaia roared at the blur. "I am the Gaiaphage: nobody attacks me!" The blur stopped, revealing the mystery attacker. It was a girl with a small frame, tattered clothes, and a backpack. The butt of a sawn-off shotgun was poking out from it. Before the girl could say anything, Gaia realised who this was. It was the girl with the speed; she couldn't afford to kill her just yet.

"Me?" the girl said. "I go by many names, but you may know me as the Breeze." She lowered her shotgun, and fired once at Gaia's chest. Blood spurted from the gaping hole, but Gaia stood strong for a moment, before collapsing to the ground. "Later." And Brianna was gone.

* * *

Diana stood there, taking in the scene, her mind racing. Brittney was split in two, and Gaia was on the floor, desperately trying to prevent herself from bleeding out. This was it. The opportunity to escape had finally presented itself. She looked around frantically, searching for the quickest escape route. Gaia and Brittney were blocking the way down the hill, and the barrier was just behind her. And to her left and right, the hill sloped downwards into a field of zekes. The only way was forwards.

She took a deep breath, and made a break for it, leaping over the two squirming halves of Brittney. The ground beneath her began to slope downwards, and just as the feeling of hope filled her, an invisible hand gripped Diana, throwing her against the barrier. Searing pain filled her body, and she let out a cry of pain. Gaia smirked, and dropped Diana to the ground.

"Don't ever think you can escape me again," she spat. Diana went to make a reply, but held back her words, watching helplessly as Gaia glared at her, her hands healing her body of the wounds. They sealed, and Gaia stood up, her clothes stained a deep red. In no way was she in the same condition as before; the wounds had barely sealed up, but as Diana had discovered earlier, Gaia wasn't exactly one to care about appearances. Gaia looked over to Brittney, and Diana let out a gasp of horror at what she was seeing.

The lower half of the body had shifted to Drake's, which wasn't too odd, but the upper half had remained Brittney. This didn't seem right. Gaia also raised a single eyebrow in confusion; she quite clearly hadn't expected whatever was happening to be happening. And then, something shot out from the mangled section of Brittney that marked where Brianna had split her in two: legs. Complete with clothing. Brittney's legs had grown back out of her severed body. Which meant that... Oh dear God.

Diana glanced over at Drake's legs, and saw the thing she had desperately hoped wouldn't happen: his torso was growning back. First the stomach, then the chest and shoulders. His head grew back, his eyes still shut as his hair appeared. And then the arms. His left arm grew back like a perfectly normal arm, and part of Diana hoped, wished, begged that the whip arm wouldn't grow back.

A red tentacle burst from Drake's right shoulder, and Diana's hopes were crushed for the third time in half an hour. The now separate Drake and Brittney shakily stood up, looking around before it dawned on them what had happened.

"Nice," Drake said, flexing the whip, grinning like a madman, which actually wasn't that far from the truth. "That whole body sharing thing was a real pain in the ass, you know?"

"Yes," Gaia replied. "Hence why I split you two back into separate entities. Don't worry, you both have the same ability as before, so you cannot be killed." Looks of relief spread over Drake and Brittney, and a look of dread over Diana. "And Brittney?"

"Yes, my lord?"

"I gave you one of the powers," Gaia told her. "You now have the ability to create visions. With this, you can serve an even more useful purpose to me." Brittney's eyes lit up like she had just been offered a bar of chocolate. Tears spilled from her eyes. Diana shook her head in disbelief. Penny with that power was bad enough, never mind a mindless slave of the Gaiaphage. An excited squeal burst from Brittney's mouth.

"Oh, thank you!" she exclaimed. "I am forever in your debt, almighty Gaiaphage!"

"Don't waste your time with gratitude," Gaia said airily, trying to mask the narcissistic pleasure of having Brittney practically grovel. "We make our move tomorrow."

"What do you mean?" Diana asked.

"We're going to the lake," Gaia said. "From there, we shall begin our conquest of the dome."

* * *

Brianna had found Gaia and the others, and had attacked in a last minute decision. She had returned to Perdido Beach with the news, expecting praise. What she didn't expect was a meeting with a furious Sam.

"What were you thinking?!" he exclaimed. "Breeze, I know you can be reckless at times, but that was just idiotic." He made a gesture with his hands. "You were this close to being killed!"

"But I managed to shoot Gaia!" Brianna retorted. "And, uh, I, yeah! I also cut Brittney up!"

"Both of those things have been done before, Breeze," Sam said. "And both of them can recover like you did nothing. All you've done is put an even bigger target on your back."  
"He believes it," Toto said, standing beside the truck. "He believes that Brianna has a bigger target on her back, Spidey."

"Gee," Brianna said sourly. "I would have never know that it was the truth."

"Don't get snappy just because you put yourself in a stupidly dangerous situation." Sam said. "Just don't do it again."

"Provided there is an again," Caine said absently. "It's a miracle Gaia didn't kill you. If I were you, I wouldn't go anywhere near her until the final battle comes." After seeing the others give him quizzical looks, Caine explained. "Think about it: the Gaiaphage has been dormant for the entirety of the FAYZ. Why suddenly begin moving about? The answer is simple: it believes that the barrier will come down, so the next thing it does will pretty much decide the fate of the FAYZ."

A silence fell over them for a moment, everyone taking in the implications of the inevitable battle in the near future. Finally, Brianna broke the tension.

"Hey, I know this is important and all," she said. "But I'm kinda hungry: how's about we head up to the lake, and discuss this over some lunch?" They all exchanged looks with one another, before Edilio finally nodded.

"Okay then," he said. "I guess there's no point on fretting over an empty stomach." He walked over to the truck, and climbed into the driver's seat. Everyone except Brianna also climbed into the vehicle. Edilio turned the keys, and the truck spluttered to life.

"I'll see you guys there," Brianna said with a smile, and became a blur as she zoomed up the highway.


End file.
